Not new iPads, nor an Apple TV, but Apple is planning an "important but not large-scale" event in New York at the end of January with a media-related announcement, according to AllThingsD, citing "sources close to the situation".

The suggested location – on the US east coast, traditionally the stronghold in America of publishing media empires and of its advertising businesses – also implies that it will relate to printed media, and so books or magazines, or advertising.

Apple hardware launches made in the US have all occurred in west coast locations for at least the past five years, and there is no suggestion that the upcoming announcement will break that pattern.

Cue looks after Apple content interests such as the iBooks store, App Store, and iTunes store. He is also in charge of Apple's personal cloud data service iCloud, launched in October 2011, and iAds, Apple's mobile advertising offering.

iAds has been struggling in the past year, according to industry insiders who say that it doesn't offer enough flexibility to be useful. The choice of location, in the same city as the iconic Madison Avenue that is the spiritual home of US advertising, could suggest a fresh approach to iAds. The former head of the mobile advertising unit Andy Miller left in summer 2011 and is not thought to have been replaced yet.